Fort Dix defendant writes judge he's innocent

One of the defendants accused of plotting to attack Fort Dix has sent the trial judge a letter stating his innocence and praying for a just outcome.

"One of the noblest acts of a human being is to be just," Eljvir Duka wrote to U.S. District Judge Robert Kugler. "I trust in Allah that we will get justice through you."

The three-page letter, sent to Kugler earlier this month, became part of the public court file late Monday. Kugler previously has advised the defendants that any correspondence to him could be made public.

Duka and his brothers, Dritan and Shain, all Albanian immigrants living in Cherry Hill, face trial in Camden this fall on charges that they conspired to storm the South Jersey military base with automatic weapons and kill as many U.S. soldiers as they could.

Also charged are Mohamad Shnewer of Cherry Hill, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Jordan, and Serdar Tatar, a native of Turkey living as a legal permanent resident in Philadelphia.

The men were arrested and jailed without bail in May 2007 after a 15-month FBI sting investigation. Federal authorities have described them as "radical Islamists" and "homegrown terrorists" with no ties to any terror group but who watched al Qaeda training videos and practiced their skills at a Pocono Mountain firing range.

The defendants have pleaded not guilty and asked the judge to dismiss parts or all of the government case, or move the trial to another state. Prosecutors and defense attorneys are scheduled to argue those motions and other issues before the judge Aug. 1. Kugler has tentatively scheduled jury selection for late September.

In his letter, Eljvir Duka said he and his co-defendants have been wrongly accused.

"We plead our innocence strongly and will continue to plead it," he wrote. "We do not fear the blame of the blamers. But we do ask for justice."

Michael Drewniak, a spokesman for U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie, declined to comment on the letter. Duka's attorney, Troy Archie, was not available for comment.

John P. Martin may be reached at jmartin@starledger.com or (609) 989-0379.